Mirando appointed new Long Beach acting city manager

The City Council voted 4-0 at a special meeting Tuesday to appoint John Mirando, the commissioner of public works, the new acting city manager.
Mirando, who was hired in 2016, is now the third acting city manager since former City Manager Jack Schnirman left in December 2017, including former acting city managers Rob Agostisi — who resigned on Tuesday — and Mike Tangney.
Mirando has been responsible for leading major capital improvement projects in the city as well as overseeing dozens of large-scale infrastructure projects, including the recently completed Army Corps of Engineers beach protection project and state-funded plans to protect the north side of the city with bulkheading and other resiliency measures.
Council Vice President John Bendo thanked Mirando for “stepping up,” while Councilman Anthony Eramo said, “Commissioner Mirando has always demonstrated that he will put the residents first and I know that he will continue to do so.”
“Thank you for all that you've done so far,” Council President Anissa Moore added. “We know that at this point, you’ll have the opportunity to really emphasize and display some of your skills in terms of leading our city at this time and maintaining stability.”

Mirando holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Manhattan College, and has a New York State Professional Engineers license. He was previously a vice president of Dvirka and Bartilucci, an engineering firm based in Woodbury and served as the director of public works and the village administrator in the Village of Sea Cliff. Mirando has also held public works and administrative positions in East Rockaway, Freeport and Garden City.
Mirando is a longtime volunteer firefighter, having served as a chief and captain of the Rockville Centre Fire Department and as a member of the Nassau County Firefighters Museum Board of Directors. He has received numerous awards for his civic engagement, including the Community Service Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1790 and the Man of the Year award from the East Rockaway Chamber of Commerce.
The City Council recently approved more than $25 million in bonds for a number of infrastructure and capital improvement projects that Mirando was tasked with leading, including a $9 million project to replace the city’s 100-year-old water tower.
He will continue to serve as public works commissioner and manage the city’s day-to-day operations as acting city manager at an annual salary of $173,871. Council members said that they are still in the process of searching for a permanent city manager.
For his part, Mirando thanked the council for their confidence in him to lead the city during a “challenging period.”
“As Commissioner of Public Works, I have always made myself available to meet with residents and business owners,” Mirando said. “I will always listen to their concerns, find solutions, explain what is possible to do, and give explanations as to why something cannot be accomplished. As acting city manager, I will continue to be available to listen — not just to those who express their concerns at council meetings but also to the many residents who do not attend council meetings and still have a desire to express their concerns to me directly.”
Mirando said that he had expressed interest in the city manager’s position following Schnirman’s departure, but withdrew from consideration due to personal reasons, which he did not specify.
“While those circumstances have not changed, my desire to see the City of Long Beach prosper and thrive remain strong, and I am committed to the task at hand,” he said. “One of the requests I made when asked to fill this role is that when the new council is sworn in and starts its search for a new city manager, that I be given consideration for the permanent position.”
He noted his ties to Long Beach — his daughter is a teacher at Lindell School and his son and daughter-in-law live in town — and said that he intends to move to Long Beach from Oceanside in the near future.
“I have watched Long Beach go through some tough times, a renaissance, ongoing recovery from [Hurricane] Sandy, and first-hand facing financial issues,” he said. “While we certainly have a challenging road ahead, working together with the council, residents, businesses, and our dedicated city workforce, I believe we can overcome the issues we face and secure a bright future for our city.”